Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington is seeking residents’ input on a proposed grant application.
At a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting about the grant Tuesday, she said the city is applying for a Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism matching grant by which the city would put up $250,000 and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism would provide another $250,000.
The deadline to apply is August 25 and one requirement of this grant application is holding four public meetings to ask citizens fortheir input.
“When I think of Parks and Recreation, I always think of the citizens and our young people,” Washington said. “Everything we do when we talk about improving our community is for them. I feel like every investment is going to improve our quality of life.”
Washington mentioned the municipal aquatics center building and said construction is supposed to start in 2018. She also said she is applying for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant related to the aquatics center.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We cannot start it this year because we would get into bad weather and that would be a tragedy,” Washington said.
She said that someone suggested expanding the footprint of the aquatics building to include patio seating.
With respect to the grant application, Washington said someone suggested using Lake Saracen or Lake Langhofer as the location of an inflatable water park. She mentioned German company Wibit, which calls itself the creator of the inflatable water park industry.
“It’s an amenity that can go into the water and draws kids and it is a very big attraction in many communities,” Washington said. “It can be used indoors. Anything you do has to be permanent use.”
“We would not put it in place to be an economic generator as such but we want it to pay for operating expenses,” Washington said. “We need attractions for our young people. We hear there is nothing to do.”
Commissioner Omar Allen proposed having an outdoor public swimming pool.
Another person proposed having disc golf, which is a combination of Frisbee and golf.
In other news, Allen mentioned cutting grass at parks because he said he has received calls from people who said parks have uncut grass, and asked interim director Trudy Redus about it.
Redus said parks employees cut grass at Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Regional Park last week in advance of the Big Bass Bonanza fishing tournament and said department employees are going to cut grass in all parks in advance of the upcoming weekend.
She said her employees deal with trash because some people throw trash in the grass. As a result, employees spent three hours picking up trash from the grass on a recent day before cutting the grass.
Allen said there will be a meeting next week to review applicants who submitted resumes for the open position of new director. Former department director April Layher resigned earlier in June.
Citizens may email Washington at mayor@cityofpinebluff.com.